Blackpool family watched with pride as son in Royal Navy pulled Queen Elizabeth II's coffin during funeral procession

Alex Stuart, 19, of the Royal Navy, was one of the young troops handpicked for the honour of pulling Her Majesty’s coffin in front of thousands of spectators and a record-breaking TV audience of four billion people.

The teenager, who attended Blackpool Sixth Form College, was one of six steerers leading from the front during the parade, as more than half-the-world tuned in to watch the historic event.

Sister Lucy, 21, who studies at UCLan in Preston, told the Gazette of her family’s pride as Alex performed his solemn duty with true professionalism and composure.

She said: “Yesterday my younger brother, Alex, 19, pulled the Queen's coffin amongst the other 140 people selected in the Royal Navy.

“Alex and I have lived in Blackpool since 2008, we both went to primary and secondary school here as well as sixth form.

"In January 2022, Alex left for HMS Raleigh in Plymouth where he started his Navy career, passing out in March. He's now based at HMS Collingwood in Portsmouth training to be a naval weapons engineer.

“The day after the news of the Queen sadly passing away, Alex was inspected at his base and was selected there and then to be one of the 100 naval troops to pull the coffin from in front.

"Alex was then selected to be one of the six steerers - he was located right in front of the coffin during the parade yesterday and was televised to billions.

"We actually kept a tally of how many times Alex appeared on TV compared to the King and our Alex was on a lot more! We are all so proud of him.”

And it’s not the first time the Gazette has had the privilege of reporting on Alex’s achievements.

In 2019, a 16-year-old Alex made the front page after he was praised for helping an elderly lady who was knocked down by a car in a St Annes hit and run.

He and his friend – both Lancashire Police cadets – put their training to use and Alex began diverting traffic while they waited for paramedics to arrive.

The pair were hailed as ‘heroes’ and were awarded a certificate of praise from police chiefs.

“Their actions were admirable and they should be an inspiration to other young people,” said Insp Rob Conolly-Perch. “They are true heroes.”

You can read the full story here.